I was reading the striking conversation between Jimmy Wales and Dale Hoiberg, from Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica respectively, and I suddenly had the strangest thought.
These two publications represent completely different creations stories.
Britannica is the Garden of Eden, a perfectly designed place that can only get worse as people tamper with it. It is the “order to chaos” model and so it is surrounded with protection to keep it in it’s pristine form.
(I was also surprised to read Mr. Hoiberg’s comment that the Britannica endeavours to represent all of human knowledge. That seems absurd to me.)
Wikipedia is the Ojibway creation story worldview, the one in which the animals help Giizhigokwe make a new world out of some soil and a turtle’s back. In this model we move from chaos to order by inviting as many people as possible to come and contribute, knowing that things can only get better in general.
I hadn’t thought of these two efforts as inhabiting the archetypes of world creation stories before. I probably need to get out more!
[tags]wikipedia, encyclopedia britannica, creation stories, jimmy wales, dale hoiberg[/tags]
Five years ago, four planes were hijacked and crashed and three buildings were damaged and destroyed and upwards of 3000 people died. It was a big event. It has been said often this week that “911 changed everything.”
But did that event change everything, or was it our responses to that event that changed everything? If the first is true, then I believe we have already lost the “war on terror”, for if all it takes is for these acts to be committed and everything changes, then the power rests with those who commit the acts.
But if the responsibility for world-changing rests with us individually and collectively, then we are confronted with the thought that we must bear some responsibility for how the world has changed, and know that it is entirely within our capabilities to change it again.
What do you think?
[tags]911[/tags]
From whiskey river
Only to a magician is the world forever fluid,
infinitely mutable and eternally new.
Only he knows the secret of change.
Only he knows truly that all things are crouched in eagerness
to become something else
and it is from this universal tension
that he draws his power.
If you are anywhere near Victoria BC on August 24th, head down to Beacon Hill Park for a free salmon barbeque to celebrate the relationship between the T’Souke, Beecher Bay and Songhees First Nations and the neighbouring municipalities. The food is hot off the grill from 11:30 to 2:00 at the Cameron Bandshell.
Having worked this past year with the City of Victoria and the local First Nations there, I can say that this event will be a great time, with good food and interesting people making a real effort at strengthening relationships.
A beautiful photograph of a beautiful sculpture made of paper, by artist Peter Callesen.
I love this because it is about flow and it required the same for its production. And it’s quite something to see where that little canoe is going!
PS. This is my 1000th post here at Parking Lot, give or take a few. Thanks for reading along!